


The Judgment of Gallifrey

by Turn_of_the_Sonic_Screw



Series: February Ficlet Challenge 2021 [21]
Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Established Relationship, Foursome - F/F/M/Other, Multi, Mythology References, Nonbinary Ashildr | Lady Me, Partial Nudity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-22
Updated: 2021-02-22
Packaged: 2021-03-12 00:35:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 521
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29626425
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Turn_of_the_Sonic_Screw/pseuds/Turn_of_the_Sonic_Screw
Summary: Missy attempts to sow some discord among our heroes, but the Doctor is able to defuse the situation before things get out of hand.Pairing: Ashildr/Twelfth Doctor/Clara Oswald/River SongPrompt: Judgment
Relationships: Ashildr | Lady Me/Twelfth Doctor/Clara Oswin Oswald/River Song
Series: February Ficlet Challenge 2021 [21]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2141604
Kudos: 4
Collections: February Ficlet Challenge 2021: Apocalypse No





	The Judgment of Gallifrey

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, I know that it's Paris a person, not Paris the city. But saying "The Judgment of the Doctor" evokes the late Matt Smith era and/or Trial of a Time Lord, neither of which I wanted to tap into here. 
> 
> I leave it up to the reader as to how accurate the 'visions' are; I tend to think they're a little simplified and a little hyperbolic, for dramatic effect.

The modest bedroom was mostly quiet: a gentle snore here, the muted tick of a clock there. Two new, but not unfamiliar, sounds intruded: the disturbance of air from a vortex manipulator, and the prowling steps of a woman’s feet. “Oh, Thete,” Missy scolded from under her breath. “Domestic life has ruined you.” It would be so easy to vaporize them all where they slept; she briefly considered the idea before dismissing it as _too_ easy. And besides, her old plan would be ever so much more fun, she decided, as she delicately, silently laid her gift on the small nightstand near where her oldest frenemy’s head drooled onto a pillow.

When the Doctor awoke it was to a sight that sent a chill down his spine, three bed partners at his back or no. “Koschei,” he murmured, snatching up the apple and crawling out of bed. “I’d say I’m surprised that you repeated this trick, but you’ve never met a belligerent alien race you didn’t want to ally with and betray.” A brief glimpse of the future assailed his time-senses (or maybe just his overactive imagination) as he read the inscription on the golden apple: _To the fairest_.

***

“Come now,” River said, “I’m your wife.” She stretched and presented herself: full breasts and ripe curves and flowing curls. “All of time and space to choose from and it took _this_ to get you to settle down.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Ash scoffed. “We all know the Doctor’s a creature of the mind first and foremost. I’m not just an androgynously stunning figure; I’ve got millions of years of history locked away behind this pretty face.”

“Remember which of us you truly love,” Clara urged him. “Four billion years in a prison for me: you’ve never done that for anyone else. We’re perfectly suited to one another, which ought to count for something. Besides which,” she gestured to smooth, tanned skin and lean muscle, “hello, time-locked at my prime.” She glared at him convincingly.

***

Desperate to avoid that future, he sprinted to the console room, dematerializing them off of Darillium and into the furthest reaches of space. The door opened obligingly before him as he hucked the apple as far as he could. 

“What’re you up to?” Ash yawned and sauntered up behind him, wearing just a pair of his boxers, hanging low on their hips.

“Nothing,” he lied.

“Mm.” They nodded. “Whatever you say. Coming back to bed?”

The Doctor considered, but only for an instant. “I think that would be nice.”

“Sure.” Noncommittal as always. Then: “For what it’s worth, I think you made the right choice. In more ways than one.” The Doctor’s eyebrow rose, and they explained by cocking their head towards the still-open door, out to the inky black tapestry, lavishly studded with starlight and nebulae. A fair point, the Doctor had to admit. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone. Now come on: it’s bloody freezing out here.”

“Yeah,” he agreed absently, sparing a final glance for the void before closing the door and flicking the fast-return switch, following Ash back to the tranquility of the bedchamber. 

**Author's Note:**

> For those of you keeping score at home, it's River = Hera, Ash = Athena, and Clara = Aphrodite. And, I mean, Missy = Eris, but, come on, canon.


End file.
